Shoe.



Patented Apr. 23, 190|. l.. RUADHUUSE.

SHOE.

(Application filed Oct. 17, 1898.)

(Nolodel.)

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE" LEVI ROADI-IOUSE, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN.

SHOE.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 672,569, dated April23, 1901.

Application led October 1'7, 1898. Serial No. 693,753. (No model.)

' in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Shoes, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

One objectof my invention is to provide a fastener for shoes, which maybe quickly undone to permit the speedy removal of the shoe in case ofaccident, thus making the shoe particularly suitable for the use ofrolling-mill workers and others who are engaged in dangerous work andare exposed to accidents. In rolling-mill work it frequently happensthat molten metal is spilled upon the feet of the workmen, rendering itnecessary to remove the shoe instantly in order to avoid seriousburning. Where laced or buckled shoes are used, the laces or bucklesmust rst be undone, occasioning more or less delay, the wearer' beingmeanwhile subjected to the action of the hot metal. Furthermore, a shoewhich may be readily fastened and unfastened without consuming anyconsiderable amount of time is desirable on general principles.

My invention further has for its object to provide a shoe in which4 theopening usually left in the frontof the upper will be closed when theshoe is fastened, thereby protecting the foot from injury and from thewater in case of rain.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for adjusting thefastening devices so that the shoe may De made to t snugly around theankle.

I accomplish these objects as hereinafter specified and as illustratedin the drawings.

That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claims.

4In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa shoe. Fig. 2 is across-section of the front part of the quarter, showing the shoefastened. Fig. 3 is an edge view of one of the catches. Fig. 4 is a planview thereof; and Fig.` 5 is a View of the inside of one end of thequarter, showing the catch in place.

Referring to the drawings, a indicates the vamp, and b the quarter. Asillustrated in the drawings, the quarter is secured to the the vamp,except at its ends, which are loose, forming flaps d e, the flap CZbeing arranged to fold over upon the liap e, as illustrated in Fig. 2.The liap d carries a series of catches f, which are secured to the flapnear its edge and project backward or i nward,asillustrated in Figs. 2and 5. The catchesf are curved to conform somewhat to the shape of theinstep, and the free ends or bills of the catches are bent slightlytoward the fiap, to which they are secured, as shown atf in Fig. 2, theobject of this arrangement being to prevent any accidental detachment ofthe catches. At their opposite ends the catches are provided with wingsg, which aord a broader base for securing them to the flap, as shown inFig. 5. The catches f are secured to the flap d by sewing or otherconvenient means, so as to leave that part of the catches from the wingsg to the pointf' free, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The bills of saidcatches, while curved, extend in substantially the plane of the wings g.The catches f are adapted to engage suitable retaining devices carriedby the flap e, which retaining devices consist, in the constructionillustrated, of a series of loops h, formed by running a lace through aseries of holes t in the ap e, one end of the lace being secured at thelower end of the Hap and the otherend at the upper end thereof, asshown. The upper end of the lace is secured so as to be readilyunfastened, so that the looped portions of the lace may be made longeror shorter, thereby increasing or reducing the size of the loops andproviding for the adjustment of the quarter to the foot. The effectivepart of the catches f is that part which projects from the win gs g, andthe catches are so secured to the iiap d that when said flap is foldedover upon the flap e the winged portion g or the point at which thecatches f are secured to the flap d will extend slightly beyond theloops h, as shown in Fig. 2. By this construction the strain of the flapCZ is received by the catches fat the base, and such strain acts to holdthe flaps more tightly together instead of to detach the catches, aswould be the case if the strain were sustained by the catches near theirpoints. At the same time the points of the bills may be moved away fromthe upper to permit the catch to be released.

In operation the shoe is secured by bend- IOO ing the flap d, asillustratedfin Fig. 1, to Vthrow the points yor bills of lthe catches fout-ward. The flap dis th en carried over the flap e until the points ofthe catches project beyond the loops h, when the end of the flap d isturned over upon the `flap e, as shownin Fig. 2, throwing the catchesinto the loops. This operation may be performed very expeditiously,as-the catches may all be engaged Vat substantially the same time. Touni-'asten the shoe, it is necessary only to take the liap d by theupper corner thereof and turn .it

i particularly adapted for use on shoes, they may be used on any articlewhich ts closely upon a form.

That which I claim as, my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. A shoe having an overlapping quarter, one or more catches carried onthe innersurface of the overlapping portion of the quarter, said catchesconsisting of bills secured tothe quarter near the edge of theoverlapping portion thereof and projecting inward from the attachingmember, and a retaining device carried by the overlapped portion ofthefquarter and adapted to receive said bill or bills, and to iitclosely in the angle formed by the bill and the quarter, adjacent to thepoint at which the bill is secured to the quarter, substantially asdescribed.

2. A shoe having an overlapping quarter, one or more catches carried onthe innersurface of the overlapping portion of the quarter, said catchesconsisting of bills secured to the quarter near the edge of theoverlapping portion thereof and projecting inward from the attachingmember, said bills being curved near Vtheir free ends torpresent aconcave `surface longitudinally of the "bill next to that portion of thequarter to which they are secured, and a retaining device carried by theoverlapped portion of the quarter and adapted to receive said bill orbills, and to fit closely in the angle formed by the bill and thequarter, adjacent to the point at which the bill is secured to thequarter, substantially as described.

3. A shoe having an overlapping quarter,

one or more catches carried on the inner surface of theioverlappingportion of the quarter, said catches consisting of bills secured to thequarter near the edge of the overlapping portion thereof and projectinglinward from the attaching member, and a retaining device carried by theoverlapped portion of the quarter and adapted to receive said bill orbills, and to iit closely in the angle formed by the bill and thequarter, adjacent to the point at which the bill is secured to thequarter, said retaining device consisting of one or more (ieXible loops,substantially as described.

4. A shoe having an overlapping quarter, one or more catches carried onthe inner surface of the overlapping portion of the quarter, saidcatches consisting of bills secured to the quarter near the edge of theoverlapping portion thereof and projecting inward from the attachingmember, and a retaining device carried by the overlapped portion of thequarter and adapted to receive said bill or bills, and to fitcloselyin'the angle formed by the bill and the quarter, adjacent to thepoint at which the bill is secured to the quarter, said retaining deviceconsisting of one or more flexible loops,said retaining device beingadjustable to vary the size of said loops, substantially as described.

LEVI ROADHOUSE.

Witnesses:

F. R. CHENEY, W. S. SHARP.

